Real-world impact of acupuncture on analgesics and healthcare resource utilization in breast cancer survivors with pain

Abstract Background This study evaluated the real-world impact of acupuncture on analgesics and healthcare resource utilization among breast cancer survivors. Methods From a United States (US) commercial claims database (25% random sample of IQVIA PharMetrics® Plus for Academics), we selected 18–63 years old malignant breast cancer survivors experiencing pain and ≥ 1 year removed from cancer diagnosis. Using the difference-in-difference technique, annualized changes in analgesics [prevalence, rates of short-term (< 30-day supply) and long-term (≥ 30-day supply) prescription fills] and healthcare resource utilization (healthcare costs, hospitalizations, and emergency department visits) were compared between acupuncture-treated and non-treated patients. Results Among 495 (3%) acupuncture-treated patients (median age: 55 years, stage 4: 12%, average 2.5 years post cancer diagnosis), most had commercial health insurance (92%) and experiencing musculoskeletal pain (98%). Twenty-seven percent were receiving antidepressants and 3% completed ≥ 2 long-term prescription fills of opioids. Prevalence of opioid usage reduced from 29 to 19% ( P < 0.001) and NSAID usage reduced from 21 to 14% ( P = 0.001) post-acupuncture. The relative prevalence of opioid and NSAID use decreased by 20% ( P < 0.05) and 19% ( P = 0.07), respectively, in the acupuncture-treated group compared to non-treated patients ( n = 16,129). However, the reductions were not statistically significant after adjustment for confounding. Patients receiving acupuncture for pain ( n = 264, 53%) were found with a relative decrease by 47% and 49% (both P < 0.05) in short-term opioid and NSAID fills compared to those treated for other conditions. High-utilization patients (≥ 10 acupuncture sessions, n = 178, 36%) were observed with a significant reduction in total healthcare costs ( P < 0.001) unlike low-utilization patients. Conclusions Although adjusted results did not show that patients receiving acupuncture had better outcomes than non-treated patients, exploratory analyses revealed that patients treated specifically for pain used fewer analgesics and those with high acupuncture utilization incurred lower healthcare costs. Further studies are required to examine acupuncture effectiveness in real-world settings.